Living in NYC and traveling whenever – and wherever – I can.

Looking Down: In Which I Take Many Pictures of My Shoes All Around Europe

As an avid Instagrammer, one thing I sometimes wonder is whether there are actually any original photography ideas left. At some point, if you follow enough people on IG, you’ll see the same things popping up again and again: latte art, sunsets hashtagged with #nofilter, airplane wings, mirror selfies, and on and on and on. I admit that I’m susceptible to all of these cliches, but perhaps none so much as this one: the #lookingdown at my feet shot.

A quick scroll through my iPhone’s camera roll suggests that I am a huge fan of my shoes (particularly my Toms Cordones), and an even bigger fan of them when flowers are involved. Sometimes, I feel sort of silly about taking yet another feet shot, but, in a way, it has also become a travel tradition that I enjoy. Not only do I think I capture some cool details by looking down, but it also seems like an accurate summation of my travel lifestyle: my FitBit tells me I walk about ten miles on sightseeing days, and what better way to reflect that than with a shot of my increasingly battered shoes?

I also happen to think that the ubiquitous shoe shot is a nice way to capture the sentiment that “I was here.” 99.9% of the time, I would rather die than flip the switch on my camera to take a self-portrait (and let’s not even discuss my loathing for the term “selfie”). Taking a picture of your shoes shows that you were in a place, yet it’s unobtrusive enough that you don’t feel like a complete tool while capturing the moment.

Stockholm: Sidewalk in Gamla StanBerlin: Ascending the Reichstag DomeDresden: In the Heart of Old TownAmsterdam: The Floating Flower MarketGeneva: Spring Blossoms Outside the WHOParis: Grand Mosque

Ultimately, I realize that all these things sound like rationalizations or excuses for me taking yet another shot of my shoes. At the end of the day, I’m not even sure I need them – because, regardless of how silly it may be, I’m sure I will happily snap away at my shoes for many trips to come.

Paris: Le Jardin Des PlantesParis: Another Shoe Snap from the Grand MosqueParis: Spotted on the Streets of the MaraisParis: Flowers on Rue Cler (and the first appearance of my Sperrys)Copenhagen: Stylish Shoe Coverings at Christiansborg PalaceCopenhagen: Flowers at TorvehallerneCopenhagen: Tivoli Gardens

Am I the only one with this obsession? Is there something you find yourself taking pictures of, again and again, when you travel?